About Me

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I've been riding for 12 years, training for 8, instructing for 7. I've almost always had 'my own' horse, though Sage is the first one I've ever owned myself. The others were all either leases or training jobs. Sage has been a completely new experience for me, forcing me to learn just as much as I have to teach. I love her to pieces <3 Besides riding, I also ski semi-competitively, write, model, and love photography. I also used to act and teach clinics on outdoor survival. Right now I'm working as a Carpenter's Assistant doing finishing carpentry, but am not sure if I would like to apprentice and get my ticket in that, or make horses my full-time career, rather than just my passion.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

New tactics...

So, Sage and I have a common problem with our rides. Warm-ups. We have to have two of them, because the first one is always compiled purely of equine sillyness and cow-ishness. Now, I've been getting rather tired of having to deal with these little baby-greeny fits everyday first thing when I get on her back... "Sage. I'm introducing you to lunging. Enjoy." I'm hoping lunging her before rides will help her become more respectful, softer, and perhaps tire her out a bit before I get on, in all honesty.

We also have a new game-plan to tackle warm-up sillyness from the saddle:
1) Give her rein, a] So she can't get behind the bit and take-off, b] So she can't lean on my hands.
2) Soft half halts.
3) A hard seat to say "whoooa," accompanied by verbal commands "hoa".

After warming-up we always end up with the most perfect, dressagey ride ever. So I'm hoping maybe with the lunging added, we can have that kind of ride right from start to finish! Wish us luck! :)

Ooh, and also wish us luck with the farrier tomorrow! =S It's gonna be an adventure!

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